Abstract

Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the Chairman of the Constitution of India's Drafting Committee, was referred to as "The Father of the Indian Constitution." Additionally, he was India's first minister of law and justice after independence. He was in favor and recommended the adoption of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) leading from western inspiration. He expressed his desire to reform Indian society by having a secular document for the citizens of India to follow. The Uniform Civil Code aimed to replace personal laws, which are based on the scriptures and customs that belonged to various religious communities, with a standard set of rules to govern every citizen of the country. This aspiration of Ambedkar attracted mixed reactions from different groups of people. Muslims have always taken their Shariat law as a personal responsibility. Hindus do the same when it comes to their religion. All their inheritance, marriage, divorce, or adoption practices are followed as written in Shastras. Hindus and Muslims consider their holy documents of Vedas and the Quran essential to adherence to their religion. In such a scenario, there was vigorous dissent on UCC from the conservative and orthodox Hindus and Muslims. Sensitive comments from Ambedkar on the religion made the conservative members of the Hindu community judgmental towards Ambedkar's beliefs. The proposed revisions altered a major chunk of the Hindu Code Bill regarding marriage and divorce ultimately buried. Even the then-prime minister of the nation, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru ultimately did not support the UCC. Consequent to these instances, Ambedkar resigned from his office. This episode is an instance that highlights the matter of UCC being close to Ambedkar's heart. It is imminent to note that Ambedkar chose to leave Nehru's Government due to the conflict of opinions on the Hindu Code. Ambedkar believed political pathways were an essential tool in bringing about social reforms.

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